Atomatic is a State of Illinois licensed design firm: License # 184.002317 “Professional Design Firm / Professional Engineering Corporation.”
When you choose the design build approach with Atomatic Mechanical Services, Inc., you get more than mere engineered HVAC drawings. Having our own in-house licensed engineering team with over 100 years of collective HVAC design talent opens the door for applying the additional HVAC design nuances we know will work, having witnessed by our first hand installation experience. As we view it, HVAC engineering is not only a science but also an art. Albeit there is more than one way to design a system, we continually strive to offer our design concepts as best value for the customer’s application. Give us a try!
Atomatic accepts the legal responsibility of “Engineer of Record” only for the design build projects we design and we install. We do not offer our engineering services as consulting engineering for the plan and spec market.
Navigating through the various codes today might be considered a daunting task, although here at Atomatic we are proud of our ability to be a leader in understanding code requirements for the design and implementation.
The following are a few of the more pertinent HVAC affected codes which may impact your projects:
International Mechanical Code (IMC)….With the exception of Chicago, all other Chicagoland suburban municipalities have adopted the IMC as their mechanical code of choice. Although, it is important to understand not every municipality follows the same Year of the IMC. The details of the code may change from year-to-year, meaning what can be implemented in one municipality may not be allowed to be implemented in the same manner in another municipality, just because they adopted a different Year of the same code. Therefore, during our design process we regularly check to assure we are designing for the correct code (and year) for your project.
International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)….This code also is widely adopted by the Chicagoland area municipalities, and, too, varies by year of publication and adoption.
International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)….This particular code is mandated by the State of Illinois, requiring all municipalities to comply. As of January 2013, the 2012 IECC will be the prevailing International Energy Conservation Code. One notable new addition to the 2012 IECC is Section C408 “System Commissioning”, in addition to many other important changes/updates which require close analysis for compliance.
Chicago Building Code….Within the Chicago Building Code are specificchapters which govern our HVAC design and installation. Primarily Chapter 18-28, “Mechanical Refrigeration”. It may sound a little deceptive because it is not solely refrigeration. This chapter contains sections governing Chicago’s code ventilation requirements, duct construction, exhaust criteria, various code piping compliance requirements, and refrigeration, to name a few. The Chicago Building Code is typically updated each year, and adopted as such. Here at Atomatic, we keep a close eye on this code each year as we receive the updated copy.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)….Most often, NFPA documents or standards are inherently adopted into code due to reference within another adopted code document. As an example, the 2009 International Mechanical Code references NFPA Standard 91-04, therefore NFPA 91-04 is considered as part of code of the municipality which adopted the 2009 IMC. In some municipalities, a direct adoption of an NFPA document or standard may also occur. Therefore, close attention needs to be given to what each municipality adopts.
American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)….A supreme organization dedicated to the betterment of our industry, ASHRAE has now focused on creating documents and standards written in code language, to be available for adoption into a municipality’s code. Most often it, too, is inherently adopted into code due to reference within another adopted code document.
We understand the importance of relationships, especially between our sales professional and you, the customer. Therefore, it is important that each Atomatic Sales professional stays intimately in-tune with your project. Our sales team and project managers work hand-in-hand throughout the project, keeping each other freshly informed as the project progresses. Uniquely, our engineers and designer are the project managers, working directly with your sales professional to manage the installation. What better than to have the individuals who are fully familiar with the design to manage the project.
